Pink Floyd's album designer dies aged 69

LONDON (Reuters) - Graphic artist Storm Thorgerson, who designed the cover for Pink Floyd's "The Dark Side of the Moon" album and also created artwork for Led Zeppelin and Genesis in their heydays, has died aged 69 from cancer.

Thorgerson was a teenage friend of Pink Floyd's founding members and became their main designer. His most famous work is the prism and rainbow stripe on the "The Dark Side of the Moon", which marked its 40th anniversary last month.

It was voted the greatest album cover of all time in a poll by website musicradar.com last year. Pink Floyd's "Animals" cover, in which Thorgerson depicted a pig flying over London's Battersea power station, came 10th.

"He has been a constant force in my life, both at work and in private, a shoulder to cry on and a great friend," Pink Floyd guitarist and singer David Gilmour said in a statement.

"The artworks that he created for Pink Floyd from 1968 to the present day have been an inseparable part of our work."

"The Dark Side of The Moon", one of the best-selling albums of all time, was released in Britain in 1973 and became the band's first No. 1 album in the United States.

As well as working with Pink Floyd, the British designer created artwork for a list of musicians including Led Zeppelin, Black Sabbath and Genesis, and, more recently, the Cranberries and Anthrax.

Thorgerson's family said in a statement that he died peacefully on Thursday, surrounded by family and friends.